Australia probes download, software pricing disparities
Australia's Parliament is planning to investigate why it costs more to download software and other content in Australia than it does in other countries.
The probe comes after a report on the situation released last year by the government Productivity Commission found significant price disparity between prices charged in Australia and in overseas markets. The controversy flared up again last week when Adobe Systems announced that Australians would be paying several hundred dollars more for its Creative Suite software than their American counterparts.
"People here scratch their heads trying to work out why they get fleeced on software downloads," Member of Parliament Ed Husic told The Age. "When the Productivity Commission asked IT companies why they charge so much for downloads, even they found the answers were not persuasive."
